Followers

Well, I found out after 5 weeks of sailing practice, sailing takes up waaaaay too much time. You see time is a very sacred thing around here, and learning time management is one of the key factors in getting through this place. Sailing took up about 4 hours of each day and it took away most of my weekends. So I made a decision that I couldn't take away my academic studying for that much time, I really need it right now. I'm having some trouble in chemistry, so I have been seeking out help with my professor, who has helped me out a lot after only two tutoring sessions.

On the bright side I got to meet my sponsor parents. These sponsors are there for you anytime you need anything, and mine are by far the coolest. They live just a block away and are very artsy people. They go into the city all the time and have two kids. One daugter who attends NYU and a son who is a professional musician. The family is very active with NYC which should make it lot of fun.

The picture above is the ring that we drew on the grinder. Notice the building in the background and that will give you an idea of just how big it is. It was to honor the seniors Ring Dance, called a Spirit Mission. Its one step towards recognition for us plebes.

Well, gotta go to class. I miss everyone and thanks for the comments!!

Only a couple of weeks until Acceptance Day/Parents Weekend, which you have no idea how big that weekend really is. Havn't seen family in a month and a half, much less been able to leave campus. I'm counting down the days, it's so cloase but yet so far.

I have been getting used to the rhythm of how things are run, been staying on the down low for now. I am apart of the Christian Fellowship Club, The Sailing Team, and Honor Guard, which conducts tours of the campus and houses recruits. I have been staying pretty active, it keep your mind off of things, and you get to miss tattoo, which is a workout session that you have for 20 minutes a day, everyday.

The people you see in this picture are my section mates. Each major has a section of about 20 students, you go to every class with each other and are able to help each other out with things. Kind of like an academic family you could say.

We had our first sailing race, our academy placed in the top three spots out of about 25 other sailboats. Then I got to go on a trip on a ship we have called the TV (Training Vessel) Liberator. It was a pretty cool experience and I even got to drive it for a bit.

Other than that, not a whole lot is happening here at Kings Point, New York.

Not a whole lot has been happening up here New York, but yesterday we got a huge thunderstorm, it hailed golf ball size hail, for about 15-20 minutes, the storm was ridiculous. But it knocked the power out for a while, which was kind of interesting. But classes are still going, I've now been here for a solid month as of yesterday. Its gone by pretty fast.

One cool thing is that students who are far from home get a sponsor family that takes care of them and just gives students a place to get away and hang out if they need to. I just found out who my sponsors are and have been communicating through email. They are an artsy family, pretty neat people I would say. The mom is an artist, the dad works in NYC, their daughter is a junior at NYU major is screenwriting, and their son plays music. Can't wait to meet them in person.

Other than that, i've just been surviving day by day. I go to chapel and biblestudy on sundays, and Christian Fellowship Group on Monday, which is a lot of fun. It's a teen youth group, gives you a chance to meet upperclassmen without breaking the ranks and just a relaxed environment.

It's been almost a month since I arrived and set foot on the United States Merchant Marine Academy and since then I have not set foot outside of the gates until Thursay, August 9, 2008. Dressed in the dress whites, the regimental officers to us to the Mets game, to keep the plebe tradition. We each received $25 spending money, a ticket to the game, and an awesome experience.

Wearing the white in public was the coolest experience, people are so appreciative of the military. Fans cheered us on as we walked into the stadium and also when we left, they wanted to take pictures of us, overall it was so cool.

Although the Mets lost the game to the San Diego Padres, it was still one of the best nights I've had in a while. I got to hang out with my friends all night, which there are some really good ones up here. I hope you like the pictures!!

Well, it's that time, classes have officialy began. So far there's not a whole lot going on around the campus. It's definitely not like it was in indoc. No one there to tell you what to do every second of the day, your kind of on your own.

A total of 18 hours for the first trimester, which is 12 weeks long. So that's what's happening up here. Also sailing practice started, tomorrow I go out for a few hours, so that should be a lot of fun.